Twentyman: Schwartz knew the handshake questions were coming

Surprisingly enough, during Schwartz's press conference Monday, it took until the 21st question before the handshake-gone-wrong was brought up.

Jim Schwartz knew the questions were coming.

How couldn’t he after what went down following last year’s 25-19 loss to the 49ers in Week 6? It's most commonly referred to as “handshake gate.”

Upon this year's schedule release, NFL Films made a preview video for this week's matchup between the Lions and the 49ers using what happened after the game between Schwartz and Harbaugh as the predominant theme to the preview.

But surprisingly enough, during Schwartz's press conference Monday, it took until the 21st question before the handshake-gone-wrong was brought up.

“Well, sure, I've seen him a bunch of times since,” Schwartz said when asked if the two have met since that October matchup. “There's a bunch of NFL things that go on after the season.”

Schwartz joked that everything went down “without incident.”

It’s no surprise Schwartz was dealing with the questions on Monday. It’s actually a bit shocking it took until question 21.

“I’m not going to go into what we talked about,” he said when pressed further. “We’re making too big a deal of it already.”

Sunday's game will be won or lost on the arm of Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford or by 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis and San Francisco's stout defense, but last year's postgame handshake will also be among the game's many storylines.

He was later asked how many times he is going to be asked about the handshake incident this week, to which he replied:

“I don’t know, probably up to you guys."

Harbaugh also spoke to the media Monday and wasn't biting on the handshake questions, either.

"People who choose to use that to promote this game or any other game are really missing the point," Harbaugh said via the San Jose Mercury Times. "As a rule of thumb, I have too much respect for the men who play this game - on both sides - to give it any (credence).

"Our approach with the mini-controversies is to give them the attention that they deserve, which isn't much. It's completely irrelevant."